Are you looking for a new centerfire gun? Well, I have one in mind. It’s a great gun, although you will have to spend a lot of time making your reloads accurate at the long line. Factory ammo? Yes, possible, but rare as a hen’s tooth. Magazines are somewhat difficult to load, and you may need to replace the strong springs with weaker ones so that it feeds better. Additional magazines are about $100 each. The gun itself? $2700 and you would have to wait four to six months after you place an order. The gun is a bit front-heavy, especially with the 6″ barrel. A 5″ barrel? Another $700. The picatinny rail on the barrel shroud is not helping because mounting the dot there would make it even more front-heavy. How about a pair of scope rings for $230?
So, do you still want to buy one?
If the answer is yes, congratulations, and welcome to the elite Pardini HP owners club!
Well, it is a very fine gun after all. The trigger is fantastic and is adjustable in every possible way. I set mine to a heavy first stage followed by a light and crisp second stage break. The grip is good and I’m better used to a shallow European-style grip angle than to the steep 1911 grip angle.
If only I could shoot this gun better, right? I tried several times and almost gave up on it. But recently I came across some factory Hornady XTP loaded ammo and decided to give my Pardini one more chance before putting it on sale. And I’m glad I did! All my shots were in black, scores were in low- to mid- 90’s, and most shots were on call. The sustained fire was even better, I used my reloads with T&B lead bullets, and it held the 10 ring consistently (I still threw a few shots to the 8 ring, but it was me, not the gun or ammo). One of the magazines kept jamming and I had two alibi strings.
I’m finally shooting my class with a centerfire gun again, and I see how can I improve it even further. So I did buy some points!
I have tried to shoot a S&W Model 52 for center fire and can shoot it well for my class (SS). However, when I am shooting the M52, it seems like my .45 scores go down. I would be curious to know if your experience is different.
I bought one when I retired in 2015 and my rimfire score jumped 30 points (from my model 41 7.375-in barrel SW), low 800s to 830s. I now shoot the model 41 better than I used to; go figure.
I love the Pardini. I’m not going to ever own a Porche or Ferrari but this pistol is the equal in the competitive pistol world. I enjoy shooting it now as much as I did the first time I fired it. Furthermore, it made me want to see how good I could be. Perhaps age or meds, whatever; I am stuck just below the master ranking. I wish I had this pistol when was younger but am thrilled to have it now. I have the SP BE and the 32 ACP conversion. The latter is as easy to shoot as the 22 and raised my centerfire scores significantly.
However, I had to back off the 32 ACP for 1800s because my 45 scores began to suffer. Now, I only use the little mouse gun for 2700s and enjoy the hell out of shooting it. I have just ordered 100 of Travis Bullets coated 64-gr 32 and am looking forward to seeing how well that bullet shoots. Travis said to expect increased accuracy at 50 yards.
Anybody on the fence about buying one of these guns, do yourself a favor and get one. I initially was torn between the Pardini and a Fienwerkbau A93 but am so glad I went with Pardini, especially due to high quality product support by the Chichkov’s in Tampa.
I too picked up a model 52 and I think it has helped my 45 shooting. The way it forces you to be true to the fundamentals can carry over to other guns in my opinion. But that is also just my experience with it so far.